Weighed in at 191 this morning after a week of no loss... yay! Optifast 800 has been a lot more tolerable for me than Optifast 70. I love the bars so, so much.

Surprisingly, I think the Optifast 70 shakes taste better than the Optifast 800 shakes. I figured it would be the opposite!

I did a little research tonight and discovered that the Atkins Advantage shakes and bars have nearly identical nutritional values to Optifast 800 - the only difference being most Atkins Advantage products have 9 grams of fat compared to 3 grams in Optifast 800, and the Atkins Advantage products have less carbs than Optifast 800. In order to save some cash, I might substitute 1 or 2 Optifast products a day with an Atkins Advantage shake or bar.

The Atkins Advantage shakes/bars seem to have less potassium than Optifast 800, so I picked up some potassium tablets at the store to make up for that.

Foralshorts,
You have done so well! Way to go!!
I imagine using some Atkins Advantage will work out just fine for ya. After all, it's calories in vs calories out no matter how you slice it. Good idea to keep an eye on nutrition... I shudder to think of all the diets I've been on that didn't include enough protein and what that's done to my poor old bod.
Keep on truckin' and let us know how it goes!

__________________Started Optifast full fast on July 9th after 2 weeks of transitional diet

OMG tomorrow is the first class/meeting! I can't wait! Especially after reading the recent posts! You guys are doing FABULOUS! Love the support you have for each other as well! I will be "officially" starting tomorrow, but heard that you don't start the product till the 2nd week. So.....
I was wondering if you notice a slower weight loss if you ate the bars throughout the week apposed to just sticking with liquids? Just curious~ plus I might wait to add the bars. I figured I'll eventually start getting tired of just shakes and this way I'll have something to look forwards too!

How exciting, DevlinGeorgia!
My program through Mayo Clinic required us to only use liquids (powder shakes or ready to drinks) for the first two weeks. Then we were permitted to have up to two bars and two soups each day. I have no idea if having bars from the beginning will affect your weight loss. I'd think cutting down to such a low calorie intake would cause rapid weight loss initially regardless of the structure of the food item. However, I am not a dietician. Good luck! We're here if you need us.

My program allows only one bar and/or one soup a day starting from day one. The soup has a good bit of sodium and that's why it's restricted, and the bar doesn't have quite the same nutritional value as the shake and is artificially sweetened. I prefer the shakes over the bars and soups anyway.
From what I've gathered, most like the Optifast 800 shake better than the ready to drink product, and the vanilla is more popular than the chocolate.

Good luck! I hope you find full fast as easy as I have!!

I met my first mini goal today ... 20 pounds down! woot!!

__________________Started Optifast full fast on July 9th after 2 weeks of transitional diet

HappyRadio & StarlightMintz Thanks for the info! Last nights meeting was both exciting and terrifying! I was freaking out about the order! So, I ordered 14 bars and 28 skates. !/2 of the shakes are the ready made ones. Only because my husband decided we were going "camping"! I wasn't sure about the location and water use. Better safe than sorry~
And...I was like WTF! I might kill you in your sleep~ It's the first week of using all product!!! Ughhhh men!
So, we do get to have up to 2 bars and 1 soup a day for the first 2 weeks. But I didn't order any soup. I figured I would give myself something to try later on. I did order bars, but only because of the camping trip. Wanted it to be easy and less of a temptation to eat off program!! Ok, now I do the "Homework" and wait (again)!! njdx1205 Great start! I'm excited for you and keep posting! All of you are an inspiration and great motivators!! talk to you next week!
Whoot woo

Today has been a pretty rough day. I went grocery shopping and that made me instantly hungry, i could smell the fruit so strong. Then i came home and cooked a pan lasagna , OMG! Talking about will power! Thank goodness i want to be skinny again more than i want to eat

@devlingeorgia good luck ! Did you start shakes yesterday or did you just order them?